RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The holiday season is often a time to travel, a time to get together with loved ones, and a time to give. For many of us, it could mean getting something that we don’t necessarily want.
Dr. Kristin Donoghue with Cornerstone Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine in Cary said getting a respiratory illness is not uncommon for this time of the year. She said the clinic has already started to see a rise in RSV and walking pneumonia cases ahead of Thanksgiving.
“Viruses love winter,” said Donoghue. “That’s been the case for as long as we look back, at least.”
Donoghue said walking pneumonia is caused by bacteria, mycoplasma, that can spread from person to person and impact several members in one household. It’s typically treated with antibiotics. She said, “We usually see walking pneumonia in school-age kids– five years to the teenage years– not usually in younger kids like preschool-age kids. But recently, we’ve been seeing walking pneumonia even in the younger children.”
Donoghue said Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a highly contagious virus that is common in younger children and infants between October and March. Anyone can get it.
“We’re just at the beginning of that season, and in the last probably two weeks we’ve been starting to see more RSV. I very much expect those numbers to continue to increase over the next couple of months,” said Donoghue.
As of last year, Donoghue said a vaccine for babies 8 months and younger became available to reduce significant infections and possible hospitalization. She said pregnant mothers in their third trimester are also able to get the vaccine. “This has been a wonderful tool for pediatrics because before this there was really no treatment for RSV. Antibiotics don’t help, steroids don’t help, so prevention becomes key.”
Dr. Dan Park is the Medical Director of the Pediatrics Department at UNC Medical Center. He said his medical staff are also seeing a similar trend when it comes to respiratory illnesses.
“This season, we’ve had a bizarre run of mycoplasma pneumonia, which is what they traditionally call walking pneumonia. Mycoplasma numbers have been actually quite high where RSV numbers have been a little suppressed,” said Park. He continued, “We are starting to see over the past one or two weeks a jump in RSV. Those numbers are increasing and we’re seeing a ton of kids coming into the emergency department with respiratory illnesses.”
Park said cold weather, being around more people, and staying huddled inside can contribute to the spread of these illnesses.
“If your child is having increased rate of breathing, they can’t catch their breath, it seems like they’re getting tired… Those are the reasons why you would seek medical attention immediately or call 911,” explained Park.
Both Park and Donoghue said fortunately flu and COVID-19 cases have remained low. They said washing hands and being vigilant can help reduce your risk of catching something.
Dr. Park said the hospital also sees a rise in children with traumatic injuries including burn-related injuries during the holidays. Keeping an eye on your children while cooking and turning pan handles inward on the stove are just a few small things that can help prevent another child from coming into the emergency room.
Park said they also remind families to not leave space heaters unattended and to avoid using grills and gas stoves to heat homes to reduce the risk of fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.
“Those are some primary prevention measures that can prevent, you know, catastrophe from happening,” said Park.
